More companies file EAGLE II protests

Dozens of companies are unhappy with DHS's choice of awardees.

Dec. 30, 2013 - 06:00AM
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The Department of Homeland Security's seven-year, $22 billion Eagle 2 information technology contract is getting buried under vendor protests, according to the Government Accountability Office.

About 28 companies have filed protests against DHS with the GAO. Another firm, STG Inc., has filed a complaint in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

GAO has 100 days to review each bid protest, which could drag out any task order awards until March. DHS awarded the small-business portion of Eagle 2 on Sept. 6 and the unrestricted portion on Sept. 27.

Lockheed Martin protested the contract awards because the company did not believe DHS properly considered the merits of the offer during the evaluation process, according to a spokesperson.

DHS also has been under fire from lawmakers. Reps. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., chairman of the Homeland Oversight and Management Efficiency subcommittee, said in a letter Nov. 8 that DHS took too long to award the contracts, wrote a poorly worded solicitation and didn't allow businesses to update their offers.

Nick Nayak, chief procurement officer at DHS, responded in a Dec. 2 letter with assurances the agency had fairly evaluated and awarded the contract, noting several bid protests had already been dismissed and DHS made sure all companies were aware of the qualities DHS was evaluating.

"DHS is confident that the pool of EAGLE II contractors will provide DHS programs with the capability to successfully perform homeland security IT projects of any size," Nayak said.